Chasing COVID-19 vaccine news has sent investors on a wild ride this spring, as shares of biotechs like Moderna (MRNA) and Novavax (NVAX) have spiked one day and crashed the next, Josh Nathan-Kazis writes in this week's edition of Barron's. Over the next few months, a handful of pharmaceutical companies plan to begin testing a new category of drugs designed to treat, or even prevent, a COVID-19 infection. Called monoclonal antibodies, the drugs mimic the proteins a human body would make to fight the virus that causes COVID-19, and while they don't hold out the promise of eliminating the threat of COVID-19 in the way that an effective vaccine could, the new antibodies could help curb the pandemic, he notes. This summer, at least three programs aim to begin testing their antibodies in humans, namely Eli Lilly (LLY), Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN), and a collaboration between Vir Biotechnology (VIR) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). Reference Link

Fauci said he is "cautiously optimistic" that "at least one" Phase 3 trial testing a COVID_19 vaccine candidate can start in early July and that "a few others" should be able to start by early fall. If things break correctly, "we can have an answer" by the end of this calendar year or early in 2021 if there is a safe and effective vaccine that has been found, added Fauci. Companies working on potential COVID-19 vaccines include Moderna (MRNA), AstraZeneca (AZN), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Merck (MRK), Pfizer (PFE), Novavax (NVAX) and Inovio (INO). Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is being interviewed on CNBC.

Moderna (MRNA) announced that David Meline has joined Moderna as CFO, effective Monday, June 8. He will serve on Moderna's Executive Committee and report to CEO Stephane Bancel. Meline joins Moderna from Amgen (AMGN), where he served as CFO and EVP from 2014 through 2019.

The New York Times this afternoon reported that Moderna (MRNA) is among the five finalists selected by the Trump administration as the most likely to produce a vaccine for the coronavirus. By narrowing the field, the White House is betting it can identify the most promising vaccines at an early stage, speed along the process of determining which will work and ensure that the winner or winners can be quickly manufactured in large quanities, the Times said. A White House announcement is expected in the new few weeks. In addition to Moderna, the winners are AstraZeneca (AZN), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Merck (MRK) and Pfizer (PFE), according the Times. Shares of Moderna are down 11c to $59.76 in afternoon trading. Novavax (NVAX) shares are down 14% to $42.60 after not being selected as a finalist.

Five companies have been selected by the Trump administration as the most likely to produce a vaccine for the coronavirus, The New York Times' Noah Weiland and David E. Sanger report, citing senior officials. The announcement of the decision will be made at the White House in the next few weeks, government officials say. The five companies are Moderna (MRNA), AstraZeneca (AZN), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Merck (MRK) and Pfizer (PFE). Reference Link